Turkish minister dismisses claims of `power purchases` from Armenia
Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler has dismissed claims that his
country will buy electric power from Armenia.
The two countries, which maintain no diplomatic ties, have not reached such an agreement, Guler told state TV channel TRT. He also said the Turkish government has not placed the issue on an agenda for discussions. "Some private companies have held talks on the matter with Armenia, but I don`t think this is going to happen," Guler said.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has also denied the reports, saying imports of electricity from Armenia were not discussed during his visit to Yerevan in early September.
Armen Movsisyan, Armenian Energy Minister, said in an unexpected statement last week that his country will start selling electric power to Turkey in 2009, claiming that an agreement had been reached during Gul`s visit to Yerevan. Local media quoted him as saying that representatives of the UNIT power company, operating in Turkey, were part of the delegation that visited the Armenian capital. He said the two countries had signed a contract on exports of electricity from Armenia to Turkey through the city of Gars. According to Movsisyan, Turkey will initially receive 1.5 billion KWt/hr per year, with electricity imports reaching 3.5 billion KWt/hr in the following years. Movsisyan said the price would depend on the cost of thermal power and gas, but noted that Yerevan was considering charging 5.7 cents per KWt/hr. He added that the alleged deal would open up a new market for Armenia.
Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia. The neighboring countries have serious differences, the most controversial being the question of whether huge numbers of ethnic Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during World War I, in what Yerevan claims was systematic "genocide."
The two countries, which maintain no diplomatic ties, have not reached such an agreement, Guler told state TV channel TRT. He also said the Turkish government has not placed the issue on an agenda for discussions. "Some private companies have held talks on the matter with Armenia, but I don`t think this is going to happen," Guler said.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has also denied the reports, saying imports of electricity from Armenia were not discussed during his visit to Yerevan in early September.
Armen Movsisyan, Armenian Energy Minister, said in an unexpected statement last week that his country will start selling electric power to Turkey in 2009, claiming that an agreement had been reached during Gul`s visit to Yerevan. Local media quoted him as saying that representatives of the UNIT power company, operating in Turkey, were part of the delegation that visited the Armenian capital. He said the two countries had signed a contract on exports of electricity from Armenia to Turkey through the city of Gars. According to Movsisyan, Turkey will initially receive 1.5 billion KWt/hr per year, with electricity imports reaching 3.5 billion KWt/hr in the following years. Movsisyan said the price would depend on the cost of thermal power and gas, but noted that Yerevan was considering charging 5.7 cents per KWt/hr. He added that the alleged deal would open up a new market for Armenia.
Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia. The neighboring countries have serious differences, the most controversial being the question of whether huge numbers of ethnic Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during World War I, in what Yerevan claims was systematic "genocide."
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